The Dominican Republic this Wednesday authorised the use of its air bases for US troops to develop logistical activities as part of the Pentagon’s operation in the Caribbean Sea known as ‘Southern Lance’.

The news was announced by the Dominican president, Luis Abinader, during a joint press conference with the Secretary of War from Donald Trump’s administration, Pete Hegseth, with whom he held a bilateral meeting moments earlier at the National Palace in Santo Domingo.

«We have authorised the U.S., for a limited period, the use of restricted spaces at the San Isidro Air Base and at the Las Américas International Airport, for the logistical operation of refuelling aircraft, transport of equipment and technical personnel,» informed Abinader.

The Dominican leader explained that this measure has a «clear purpose», which is to «strengthen the air and maritime protection ring» maintained by the armed forces of both countries, as part of «a decisive reinforcement to prevent the entry of narcotics and to strike transnational organised crime with greater force.»

Abinader commented that the measure is carried out under the current legal framework and the previous agreements established with the U.S. Furthermore, he indicated that it is a temporary extension of binational cooperation «to reinforce air and maritime surveillance against drug trafficking.» These operations, added the leader, will be carried out provided that the Dominican Republic endorses and accompanies the actions planned by the Pentagon. «Its scope is technical, limited and temporary,» assured the head of state.

For his part, Hegseth affirmed that the agreement is «provisional» and will respect the «laws» and «sovereignty» of the Dominican Republic. «It is a great partnership, it is a joint initiative against drug trafficking and narco-terrorism,» expressed the Secretary of War, who described the pact as «a model for the region» that the U.S. hopes to «expand with other countries that want to partner» with Washington in the fight against «the narco-terrorists.»
U.S. Pressures Its «Partners»

The U.S. Secretary of War arrived in the Dominican Republic this Wednesday just as the Donald Trump administration increases tensions and threats against Venezuela, as part of its policy of «maximum pressure» and continued aggression against the South American country.

According to the Dominican press, the Pentagon chief arrived at the Las Américas International Airport on the Caribbean island at 12:55 in the afternoon, with the objective of strengthening bilateral cooperation with one of its most stable allies in the region, and in this case as part of its extraterritorial policy of fighting «narco-terrorism» in the Caribbean Sea.

Hegseth’s arrival also occurs under a tense geopolitical climate due to the massive presence of Southern Command troops in the Caribbean, a situation that has caused serious friction with Venezuela and Colombia, and has triggered alarms in other countries like Mexico and Brazil, which, like Cuba, Nicaragua, among other nations, condemn its bombings and military attacks in the region against civilian vessels.

The presence of the War official in the Caribbean also adds to what Venezuela has described as a campaign of terror with which Washington attempts to pressure the entire region under the pretext of attacking alleged drug trafficking organisations.

These actions, Caracas warns, are executed by the Pentagon in an attempt to seize by force the political power led by President Nicolás Maduro, and thus install a «puppet government» that would allow it to take control of all the natural and energy resources of the Venezuelan people.

The geopolitical move, in which the U.S. also seeks to curb the strong alliances and cooperation of countries like China and Russia in the region, comes after the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman, Dan Caine, visited Trinidad and Tobago on Tuesday, a country neighbouring Venezuela, to meet with the Prime Minister of that Caribbean country, Kamla Persad-Bissessar, amidst this new escalation of threats from the Trump administration against Caracas.

(Taken from RT en Español)